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282 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
evil spirit to drink on, till he was overpowered by sleep, and lay down in the road near the inn.
III
Early in the morning, the merchants’ wagons leaving the place, the drivers not perceiving the man lying in the road, crushed him to death by the wagon wheels.
The other merchant, having come to a distant country, was selected by the genuflection of a sacred horse to succeed the king ; and he accordingly was appointed to the throne.
After this, considering the strange turn, events had taken, he returned and invited the Buddha to visit him, and preach to his people.
On which occasion the World-honoured One declared the reason of the death of the evil-minded merchant, and the prosperity of him who thought wisely, and then added these lines :
“ The mind is the origin of all this is; the mind is the master, the mind is the cause.
“ If in the midst of the mind there are evil thoughts, then the words are evil, the deeds are evil, and the sorrow which results from sin follows that man, as the chariot wheel follows him (or it) who draws it.
“ The mind is the origin of all that is ; it is the mind that commands, it is the mind that contrives.
“ If in the mind there are good thoughts, then the words are good and the deeds good, and the happiness which results from such conduct follows that man, as the shadow accompanies the substance. ”
On hearing these words, the king and his ministers, with countless others, were converted, and became disciples.
§ 2. To Make the World a Kingdom of Righteousness
What is the purpose of Religion ?
Different religions have given different answers.
To make man seek after God and to teach